Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi has died, the government has confirmed. Meles had been receiving treatment overseas for an unspecified illness for several months.

ETHIOPIAN PRIME minister Meles Zenawi has died, the government has confirmed. Meles had been receiving treatment overseas for an unspecified illness for several months. He is replaced by his deputy prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, a government spokesperson said that there would be no change to policy and strategy, and that no date would be set for elections.

Meles, who governed Ethiopia for two decades, won plaudits for his successes in promoting economic growth in the country, and for his support of Western efforts to control militancy in Somalia. However, his suppression of free speech and non-government organisations were widely criticised.

Under his leadership, the country saw many years of strong GDP growth. Since 2004, the country’s economy has expanded at more than 5 per cent each year, and is in the early stages of a multi-billion dollar infrastructure programme, which will see thousands of kilometres of railway and several new power stations constructed.

A former guerilla fighter, who deposed his Communist predecessor Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, he was a regular and articulate interlocutor on African affairs, appearing at international events and mediating in regional conflicts.

Domestically, his intolerance for dissent led to several journalists and opposition figures being imprisoned under anti-terror laws, and elections, which he won in 1995, 2005 and 2010, were disputed.